“ Destroy my desires, eradicate my ideals, show me something better, and I will follow you. ”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Notes from Underground (1864). copy citation
| Author | Fyodor Dostoyevsky |
|---|---|
| Source | Notes from Underground |
| Topic | desire idealism |
| Date | 1864 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/600/600-h/600-h.htm |
Context
“I know, anyway, that I will not be put off with a compromise, with a recurring zero, simply because it is consistent with the laws of nature and actually exists. I will not accept as the crown of my desires a block of buildings with tenements for the poor on a lease of a thousand years, and perhaps with a sign-board of a dentist hanging out. Destroy my desires, eradicate my ideals, show me something better, and I will follow you. You will say, perhaps, that it is not worth your trouble; but in that case I can give you the same answer. We are discussing things seriously; but if you won't deign to give me your attention, I will drop your acquaintance.”
source
Meaning and analysis
